A map that media reports indicate was being printed while City Council was waiting, was approved by Chicago City Council by a vote of 41-8 earlier this today.
North Side aldermen generally approved the map, with only Scott Waguespack voting against the proposal.
A review of the ordinance by The Bulldog indicates there are technical problems which will require further action: large parts of the North Side are not assigned to any ward, according to the legal description.
Among the issues left to correct is the boundary between the 32nd Ward and the 2nd Ward. Second Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti joined Waguespack in opposing the ordinance. The32nd Ward also overlaps parts of the 43rd Ward. And the 43rd Ward and the 2nd Ward boundaries also will require correction due to overlapping descriptions.
In addition, although the map released by the city has assigned every part of the city, Wrightwood Neighbors, Roscoe Village, parts of DePaul and Lake View are not officially in the ordinance.
The council map packed population of white and Hispanic wards, while allowing lower population in mainly black wards as seen on an analysis released by the city. The deviation from the goal of 53,912 could lead to court challenges.
While it appears population deviation is allowed, the deviation of 8.75 percent is larger than normal.
The Illinois Congressional population deviation is one person between the largest and the smallest districts.
Further there will be criticism of wards that snake through neighborhoods.
On the North Side, the 1st, the 2nd and the 32nd ward all nest into each other.
From a Gold Coast base, the 2nd Ward passes through the Old Town area, its north border and south border easily the width of a half block.
The 1st Ward too snakes around, grabbing parts of Palmer Square, surrounding the shopping district at North and Damen and a peninsula of what could be either the 2nd or the 32nd Wards that picks up Ukrainian Village.
The 1st Ward even crosses the River to claim Lathrop Homes, historically part of North Center, by using the Kennedy Expressway and the large industrial area along Clybourn Ave.
Meanwhile the 32nd Ward picks up parts of Buck Town, Logan Square, West DePaul, Sheffield Neighbors. The city map indicates the Roscoe Village area will be represented in the 32nd Ward too.
Here is a brief analysis of key neighborhoods on the North Side:
- Wrigleyville- largely intact in the 44th Ward
- Boys Town- Halsted is a boundary for this retail district, dividing it into two wards, 44 and 46.
- Uptown- the north boundary has been straightened. The key retail districts and the planned entertainment district are within a single ward.
- Andersonville- The retail district is contained in three wards, it had been in four wards previously. Clark Street is a boundary, again, between the 40th and the 48th Wards.
- Winnemac Park- The area south of Bowmanville to Ainslie is being assigned to the 40th Ward.
- Lincoln Square- Western Ave forms a boundary through a key part of the retail district, dividing responsibility between the 40th and the 47th Wards.
Interactive Map of Ward Boundaries
View Final map- Chicago North Side in a larger map
The Bulldog drew this map based on the legal descriptions in the ordinance passed.
A map provided by the city. Neighborhoods such as Roscoe Village are assigned a ward in this version.
View Larger Map. This map of the entire city was developed by Chicago Journal.
Read the article in Chicago Journal.
